Sayang Sabah - The voice of Sabahans

Thousands of airline passengers stranded in Bali due to volcanic ash

JAKARTA: Thousands of airline passengers were stranded in Bali when the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar had to be closed following the volcanic ash spewed by Mount Barujari.

Local media today quoted the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) chief Sutopo Purwo Nugroho as saying that the airport was closed since 7am and the authorities would decide on the possibility that it would be reopened tomorrow.

A total of 692 flights were cancelled at Indonesia’s busiest airport, which received thousands of visitors to the island of Bali daily.

Mount Barujari, with its peak at 2,376 metres above sea level located in Mount Rinjani in Lombok, west Nusa Tenggara, was reported to have erupted at 2.45am today.

BNPB had declared alert level 2 for Mount Rinjani and the local government has not issued an evacuation order for its 33,800 residents but set 3km off-limit areas.